The Sound of Ice
by My Fleeting Touch
Summary: Ayumu Fujimoto was certain she was going crazy; I mean, how many other people imagine their short, white-haired classmate jumping around so quickly with a sword? It just couldn't be many, so what on earth was going on? HitsuxOC T R


**Fading's note:**

Well, this is my first Bleach fanfiction. Not sure why it took me so long to actually start reading or watching Bleach; guess it was just the fact that a lot of other people like it and, well, I like to be a non-conformist. The same thing happened with Twilight and so on; all those Vampire Books. I liked it at first and was pretty obsessed with Twilight until everyone else started reading the series and I couldn't walk down the hallway to my locker without hearing spoilers or Twilight discussions. Haven't watched the movie either. Just seeing the 'Teen-fiction' section, in a bookstore, now crowded with Vampire books drives me up the wall. Some people want to read about things other than Vampires.

Anyway, I'm now obsessed with Bleach.

So I'll stop with my mindless babbles and let you get on with the story. It's going to need improving, I know, like many of my other stories, but hey; it's fun to write.

_**The Sound of Ice**_

_Bleach_ is owned by Kubo Tite

**Chapter one**

Temporary Insanity

* * *

I was going insane.

Yes, I thought it was about time I announced it to the entire world and beyond. It had been the third time _this week_ that I had seen things that everybody else around me were completely ignorant to. You'd think even a completely blind bat would be able to see the huge shadow being cast across the classroom from the thing outside. I didn't want to look up, but it was inevitable.

Skull like mask, huge gaping hole in its body, long slimy tongue lapping at it's teeth and yellow eyes gazing down at me out of sunken black pits. It was my monster, my demon, and my demise. It was a bit hard not to stare, if you get my meaning, this thing was massive.

There was a second reason to why I thought I was falling out of my tree. Yeah, I know it's weird but, I think my head was _speaking _to me, like a conscious. I'm not sure how many other people had their head's _speak _to them, but I couldn't exactly go around and ask, 'Hey, does your head speak to you?' If I did that, they'd most certainly admit me to the madhouse.

It didn't make any sense either, the words it spoke, like now; it was hissing, _'Hollow'_ into my mind as I stared at the beast outside my window. I don't know why, but the word wanted to make me go on the defensive. In other words, _run for my life._

"Fujimoto Ayumu, if you could _pay attention,_" a folder was bought down hard onto my head for the third time this lesson. Maiyuki Sensei wasn't one for kindness towards mentally struggling students. She glared down at me from behind her spectacles, her tightly-wrapped bun threatening to roll off her head and squash me, and her nostrils flaring with anger. I half expected her to snarl and breathe fire down on me.

I don't think the students of the past were making things up when they nicknamed her 'The Dragon'.

Beside me, one of my best friends; Gouto Kumiko was giving me the tell-me-what-what's-happening-with-you-when-class-has-finished stare. I don't usually do these things to my friends; like freaking them out by staring at the big unknown monster outside the window.

"_Fujimoto, _would you stop staring out of the window and _pay attention_, answer question number thirteen, Fujimoto!" The Dragon roared, spitting with anger; her eyes behind her specs burning with annoyance. "That is the _fifth _time this lesson you have absolutely ignored your teachers. Now, question thirteen of the simultaneous equations sections, your answer, Fujimoto."

It was going to be a hell of one long, long day.

* * *

"Geez, Ayumu!" Kumiko sighed, "I wish you'd just tell us what's going on. Mitsuki and I both know that _you,_ for one, never tune out in class that often! After all, you don't study and you _are _the top of our maths class! Still, I was amazed Maiyuki sensei got angry at you, you are almost like, her favourite student."

I grimaced, being on the teacher's top list didn't really appeal to me, there was this time I was the music teacher's pet, a few years ago, you wouldn't believe –

"You can't not listen, knowing your hearing abilities," Mitsuki added quietly, eyeing me strangely, "And even if you do a lot of sport, we both know how much free time you have in your hands."

"Yeah, you do complain about how bored you are," Kumiko agreed, "So tell us, Ayumu, what's going on? Why were you staring out the window for almost the whole lesson?" She frowned, "Something interesting out there?" She looked at me expectantly, "So, what is it, Ayu?"

They wouldn't believe me, if I said it was a giant monster, even they'd expect the whole class to have seen it then and then excuse me for avoiding the _real _answer. I needed to demonstrate my convincing acting skills; putting on what I thought we a sheepish look, travelling my hand through my hair in an embarrassed gesture, "Ahhh, well you see, I saw a really cute guy out the window, you know?"

Let there be a few minutes of silence while I prayed that they would except my lame excuse.

I needn't have worried as Mitsuki clasped her hands together in delight, "Are you hearing what I am hearing, Kumiko? Our little Ayumu is growing up, oh!" I swear I could see tears of happiness in her eyes, "I was beginning to get worried, but it seems you are just a very late bud who is a little slow at unfurling it's petals! I'm sure you'd understand my worries though; Ayumu just plays sports _way _too much and never really showed any interest in guys except for the fact that they are just great friends. It was like being friends with a guy!"

Kumiko smiled but her eyes didn't move off me to go celebrate with Mitsuki, they just watched me carefully. I knew this was a thin line to tread, lying to Kumiko, as I had grown up with her since year two. However, she sighed, and it seemed as though she had let it go this time. "About time," she grinned, "Welcome to girlhood, Ayumu Fujimoto. Geez, I was worried you actually _were_ a guy for a moment there, like a crossdresser!"

A vein throbbed in my forehead, "You guys are such _great, great friends!_ Calling you best friend a guy and a crossdresser! It's a wonder why I actually stick with you guys!" The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I felt the gaze of the monster intensify on me.

* * *

It was following me home; my monster that is.

I really could not understand why nobody could sense it; it was massive and the ground shook whenever it moved. Seriously, the thought that only I could see it made me feel really, really _sick._ I knew this feeling well; it was the feeling that I was going to faint, fast. I got it a lot; especially in the science labs during biology or health lessons. I couldn't _stand _blood; the thought of it and talking about it was just too much for my mind to handle.

Another wave of nausea made me almost double over as I stopped to rest on a pole on the roadside; I turned to stare in disgust at my monster. The glance just about lurched me into dizziness; it was _so _close. Fainting really didn't seem like a good idea right now; my warning lights were going haywire, this _thing _could crush me in a second.

What did it want? My death? Was this _thing _my death?

'_Run'_

Oh great, just what I needed, my freaking conscious just felt the need to add to my migraine. Things were going to get rather messy; I scanned the street for any other humans. Nothing. Right. "What are you?!" I shouted at my rather large follower, "What do you want with me? Can you speak?!"

It didn't reply, it just stared at me out of that skull-white mask and, it's mouth shifted slightly and it almost seemed like it was grinning patronisingly down at me, saliva dripping from it's teeth down onto the floor. I trembled; my hands shifting to warm my arms, _why was it so cold all of a sudden?_

'_Run, you fool of a girl, run!'_

"Yeah, I think I might just do that," I murmured to my self, edging away from the monster who was coming _even _closer. "It can't even speak, but that grin on it's face just doesn't seem so friendly."

'_Stop wasting energy speaking and run!'_

"You are so bossy! It won't notice if I just slip away, how weird would it look if I start running away from something nobody else can see!" I started to walk off rather calmly as if I'd never seen such a monster in my whole life. It was a pretty hard task, really.

"You can see me, little girl? No wonder the scent of your soul is so mouth-watering," The horrible voice had me stop dead in my tracks; it- it could speak. Its voice was just so impossibly close. My body was shaking out of control. _Mouth-watering,_ it wanted to _eat _me! Oh god, I didn't want to die. Don't want to die, don't want to die, don't want to –

'_Should've run while you could!'_

I'm very sorry, conscious, should've listened to you, but seeing as we are going to die, let's put away our differences. However if you have anyway of getting us out of this alive, I'm more than happy to hear it. A tremendous amount of pressure surrounded me as the monster's hand closed around me tightly.

Now, I wasn't very happy about that, _nobody, _not even big monsters, grabbed Fujimoto Ayumu. I eyed the hand in disgust; my mouth was probably going to regret this later, and I bit down, hard. A howl of pain let me know I had reached my objective; the monster dropped me.

I took off as soon as I could; I wondered how far away would be good enough.

'_Just keep running and running,'_

"Are you crazy!" I almost yelled, "I'm a sprinter not a full on marathon runner!"

'_Well, it is coming after you so you either keep running or you die.'_

I was about to retort when a hand grabbed me from behind a building and pulled me towards them. I could've screamed, it was just too much; my energy was drained, there was huge monster behind me and strangers grabbed me and took we to unknown places. The world was out to get me. Black edges started to form at the edge of my blurring vision; nausea shook me, my head pounded. I needed to let this stranger know how much trouble they were in; "Huge monster…coming…let me go…you can't see it…it's coming," I put the remainder of my effort into gripping the stranger's clothes so their face would be at my level and stared into their greenish eyes, "We're in danger!"

Pathetic, but that was all I managed to say before I drowned in a sea of greenish eyes.

"Fainted, I suppose that's a good thing, that way she won't see," a boy's quiet voice was the last thing I managed to hear before I went into a full time faint.

* * *

Headaches, I hated them the most, there was this time when I ate too much chocolate and had this huge headache, biggest one yet, I thought I was going to die it was so painful. I emitted a groan as I recalled what had been happening before my little pass out.

Was I dead? Was that boy who had tried to save me dead?

I was sore all over; that monster had drained me of a lot of energy. "Is this hell?" I muttered out loud.

"How rude!" The voice of a man sliced through my head like a knife, "Never before has my shop been called 'Hell' before! To think that we took you in and cared for you out of the kindness of our hearts and she calls it 'Hell'!

I groaned in defeat; if only I could move and hit that man until he learns not to speak while I'm having one of my headache moments. "Don't talk so loud," I moaned, "Where am I?"

"Urahara's sweet shop, also known as 'Hell'," sulked the guy.

"No way! Urahara!" Sitting up what not a good idea; pain lanced through my body, "It's me, Fujimoto Ayumu! The one who always comes to get candy for my cousin! No way, what a coincidence," Suddenly the situation felt a lot lighter, sure Urahara was a bit weird but hey, it's better than being captured by a complete stranger. "Where you the one who brought me here?"

"Hmmm me? No," Urahara snapped open his fan and started fanning himself, I stared at him curiously, I swear he carries that fan around even in the middle of winter! Yeah, weird. Hang on, if he didn't save me, who did?

"Do you know who did then?"

"Of course I know who did, he wouldn't have brought you here otherwise, would he?" He snapped his fan closed and tapped his hat, "Fainting must've lost you more brain cells than recommended, you used to be such a bright girl, Fujimoto." He gave a weary sigh.

"He got past the monster? Where is he? Is he still here? What about the monster? Did he defeat the monster? What's his –,"

"One hundred and one questions by Fujimoto Ayumu," sighed Urahara, "Slow down, one thing at a time. Yes, your saviour did get past this monster of yours. I do not know where he is currently; so therefore he isn't here either. The monster is gone, Fujimoto. Now, it's my turn, why was a little primary school kid like yourself wandering around all alone at such a time."

"Eh? Primary school kid?" I stared at him, "Are you kidding me? I'm a middle schooler!"

I was vertically challenged; let's leave it at that.

Urahara grinned, "My mistake. Don't worry about what you've seen Fujimoto, you'll forget it soon."

I frowned, "Forget it? Can you see them, Urahara? That thing is a bit hard to forget."

"Your memories of it will be erased," his expression softened at the look on my face, "It's okay, it's completely painless."

"But if I forget my memories then won't I forget the person who saved me?" I scowled, "I don't like that; I want to say thank you to them."

"I'm afraid we don't have a choice at this point, Fujimoto, you'll have to forget what've you've seen otherwise you could end up traumatised," Urahara tapped me on the head with his fan, "I'll keep a look out for your little saviour and say thank you for you, ne?"

I closed my eyes, "Fine. Before you do though, can you just tell me one thing? What is his name?"

Urahara chuckled, "Name; such an important thing among us. His name is Hitsugaya Toushirou."

"Hitsugaya Toushirou," I smiled, "Tell him I said 'thank you'."

Urahara rested his stick on my forehead, muttering a few incantations that made absolutely no sense what-so-ever to me. By the time he had finished, my vision had almost faded away and he gave a regretful sigh, "I have a feeling that this will be the last time you ever subject to an erasing quietly."

* * *

Something was off.

I reached up to scratch my head; my memory, which was superb, couldn't recall many things from yesterday. I was having trouble remembering maths as well. Kumiko and Mitsuki were acting weirdly around me; treating me all girl-like and giving me these 'falling-in-love' or 'teenage-girl-hood' tips as they called it.

Really quite irritating, I had no intention of falling for anyone.

So I spent most of my free time on the basketball court; even if I was rather…short, it was one of the things that I was good at. "Why are you out in this weather, Fujimoto?" one of the guys that I usually played sport with, laughed, "I thought you hated the cold! Me and the guys are going back inside, how about you?"

I shivered, he was right, the morning had started out quite warm, why'd it get so cold all of a sudden? "No, I think I'll stay outside for a little while, thanks Abemochi!"

"It's your funeral," he shrugged and ran to join up with his friends. I shuddered, rubbing my arms as I walked over to the basketball, it wasn't even winter, if anything it was supposed to be getting warmer. Stupid climate.

That wasn't the most that was getting on my nerves; the fact that I couldn't remember anything from yesterday felt even worse. I hated forgetting things, from the age of eight, I had learnt that memories were precious things.

One basket; I creased my brow in frustration; trying to pull back things from yesterday. Something blocked my way; making the task rather painful. Headaches, I hated headaches.

"This is _impossible!_" I swung the basketball to the right with all my force; I wasn't prepared for the smack of it hitting someone else's hands. I froze, so far, nobody else had managed to stop a ball I had thrown with full force.

"Violent," it was a soft murmur from my left, I turned to stare stupidly at my…well, not-really-victim.

It was a shock alright; I had to rub my eyes; was I imagining things? No. "Who are you?" I asked through gritted teeth. Impossible. Who was this guy? A primary school kid?

The boy kept his neutral look on his face, twirling the basketball on his finger, "Hitsugaya Toushirou."

* * *

**Fading's Note:**

So that's it for the first chapter. I know there isn't much Toushirou, much to my own disappointment too :\. Oh well, it's only the introduction to Ayumu sort of at the moment and there is going to be a lot more Hitsugaya later on.


End file.
